Cheesy Bacon Cauliflower Steaks
Indulge in this savory, cheesy and crispy cauliflower steak with crumbled bacon, a velvety cheddar sauce and chives.
This dish is like a combo between a juicy steak and a loaded baked potato. But healthier, and maaaybe even tastier.
This dish was a happy accident. A very, very happy one. I was craving a steak and loaded baked potato but didn’t have either of those ingredients on hand! I did have cauliflower however, and what resulted was this magical dish. My husband (a total carnivore) freaked out when I had him try it and asked for me to make this every time we have cauliflower in the house.
This works perfectly for a main course, or you could make a platter of these for an appetizer and have everyone dig in!
Perk: you will likely have leftovers of the cheese sauce (yay) - and it doubles as a sauce for mac & cheese!
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
5-6 strips bacon
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp mustard powder (or 1 tsp dijon mustard)
Couple dashes of hot sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or cheese of your liking!)
Chives
Microgreens (garnish)
Olive oil, salt, pepper
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the cauliflower into steaks and brush with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and onion powder.
3. Lay strips of bacon on a baking sheet under parchment paper (easier clean up) and throw into the oven for 10-15 minutes or until desired crispiness.
4. In an oven-safe pan over medium heat, add some olive oil (or neutral oil) and sear the cauliflower steaks for a few minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer to the oven to finish roasting for 10 minutes.
5. In a sauce pan over low-medium heat, add butter and stir until melted. Add in flour and whisk for 2-3 minutes (this is your roux). Gradually stir in milk and the sauce will thicken up over the next few minutes. If the consistency is too thick you can add some more milk. If it’s too thin you can either simmer a bit longer on low heat or you can make more roux (butter & flour) in a separate sauce pan and add that to your sauce. Remove from heat, add in seasonings and hot sauce, grated cheese and stir. It should be creamy and luxurious.
6. Assemble: roasted cauliflower steaks, drizzle with cheesy sauce, top with crumbled bacon, chives and microgreens (optional).
Kitchen Items Used:
Laguiole Steak Knives (made in France)
